Dan Shumski is an author, journalist, and cook. His food writing has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, and The Washington Post. His first waffle iron was a 1985 Kensmore nicknamed Sparky. He now owns six waffle irons.

How many great ideas begin with a nagging thought in the middle of the night that should disappear by morning, but doesn't? For Daniel Shumski, it was: Will it waffle? Hundreds of hours, countless messes, and 53 perfected recipes later, that answer is a resounding: Yes, it will Steak? Yes Pizza? Yes Apple pie? Emphatically yes.